From Jeremy Clarkson to David Beckham, the celebrities with their own pubs

Jeremy Clarkson has become the latest celebrity to turn pub landlord after purchasing a public house in Oxfordshire.

The former Top Gear presenter already brews his own brand of beer and cider as one of the many ventures at his Diddly Squat Farm and has now become the owner of The Windmill pub in Burford, Oxfordshire, just 10 miles from his farm.

Clarkson wrote in The Sunday Times: "I just needed the pub where all this could happen. And then, after I'd looked at about 14,000, I found just the place."

The Clarkson's Farm star is the latest in a string of celebrities to become pub owners. From musicians to actors to models - here are some of stars who have bought their own pubs.

Jade Thirlwall

Little Mix star Jade Thirlwall owns the Arbeia cocktail bar in her hometown of South Shields, Newcastle. The bar was opened as Red Door in 2019, and her Little Mix bandmates Perrie Edwards and Leigh-Anne Pinnock came to the launch. In 2020 it rebranded as Arbeia, but the Black Magic singer is still the owner.

Rick Astley

Never Gonna Give You Up singer Rick Astley is co-owner of craft beer bar Mikkelller in London. The singer claims he was inspired by beer maker and former childhood fan Mikkel Borg Bjergso and fan and they collaborated to make Astley’s Northern Hop Lager.

Astley reveals on the website: "I met Mikkel back in 2015 – through his enthusiasm and passion for real quality, I have fallen back in love with beer.

"London is a great city, but it needs a Mikkeller bar and it is really exciting to be part of creating Mikkeller’s first bar in the UK with Mikkel and his fantastic team. I know we are going to have a lot of fun and drink some great beer."

Sir Ian McKellen

Lord of the Rings star Sir Ian McKellen claims he was sacked from his own pub - The Grapes in Limehouse. The popular boozer is famed for its quiz night, which McKellen has been known to host.

The 85-year-old actor told The One Show in 2023: "I don’t drop in too often, but I’m invariably there for the quiz on a Monday, I used to run the quizzes.

"I used to actually be the quizmaster and I devised all the quiz questions. It took me a whole day in the week. 40 questions! And I did this for a year and then my partner Shaun said, 'We don’t need you anymore!' I was sacked! From my own pub, doing a job for which I wasn’t paid."

Jodie Kidd

Fashion model and TV presenter Jodie Kidd bought her local pub The Half Moon in West Sussex and claims it was "blood, sweat and tears" refurbishing and relaunching it.

The traditional British pub offers live music events and tasting nights and is celebrating its seventh birthday with a big party in August 2024.

Kidd said: "Now it's been up and running for a couple of years, I've become very understanding of the wonders and hardships of being a landlady."

Idris Elba

Luther star and DJ Idris Elba grew up in Hackney and admits he is a fan of an East End boozer.

He has told 50best.com: "When I’m going out to bars, it’s mainly two types I like to drink in. I like the old school, sawdust on the floor, dartboard out the back where you know the name of the bar staff and can feel super relaxed – that’s the kind of place I grew up in.

"Then at the other end of the spectrum, I also like those with a bit more sophistication. The kind of place that you know won’t get too rowdy, but you can come in for a quiet drink and it feels a bit more exclusive.”

And it seems this is the vibe Elba has gone for with the two bars he co-owns - wine bar Porte Noire in Kings Cross and cocktail bar The Parrot in Aldwych.

Ed Sheeran

Castle On The Hill singer Ed Sheeran has his own private pub, The Lancaster Lock, in a barn on his Suffolk estate. But he is also the owner of Bertie Blossoms, an upmarket pub in London's Notting Hill.

Sheeran told the Table Manners podcast: "It’s really good beers and good things on the menu - what I would want in the bar, basically."

But he admitted he feels more comfortable down his local, saying: "I’m a Suffolk boy and this is where I feel most comfortable. I can go into a pub and see people and go, ‘OK’ but in -London it’s more full-on."

David Beckham and Guy Ritchie

David Beckham has been living the life of a country gent in the Cotswolds for some time now. And along with wearing tweed, growing veg and keeping chickens, he has got himself a traditional English pub to visit when he pops into town.

Beckham co-owns The Walmer Castle in Notting Hill with pal Guy Ritchie. The Gentleman director is also landlord of Lore of the Land pub in Fitzrovia. Beckham told Harpers Bazaar: "I love an old man pub and having a great Sunday roast in front of a log fire surrounded by lots of old people. That's my ideal situation.

Russell Brand

Russell Brand is the owner of the Crown Inn in Pishill, Oxfordshire. But the TV presenter does not use the country inn as a public house, but as the headquarters for his social media channels.

Last year, Brand was questioned by police in connection with allegations of historic sex offences which he has strongly denied.

Nadine Coyle

Girls Aloud singer Nadine Coyle lived in Los Angeles for nine years between 2006 and 2015 while with her ex-American footballer Jason Bell.

While she was living there the singer opened her bar Irish Mist, which closed in 2015. She ran it with her family and confessed: "Everyone got kind of bored and we were like this is really, really hard work." She added: "Producers would come in all the time 'Can we turn this into a TV show?' Each and every time we were like 'Absolutely not!' "

Neil Morrissey

Line of Duty actor and Men Behaving Badly star Neil Morrissey makes his own beer and is landlord of the Plume of Feathers pub in Stoke-on-Trent.

Before landing a role in hit BBC drama Line of Duty he told the Daily Mirror: "Acting has been good to me, but a lot of what I do now is nothing more than factory television. I find running a pub far more challenging, much more creative."

Morrissey's pub made headlines last year when customers were left waiting for their lunch on Christmas Day.

James Blunt

Perhaps it isn't such a surprise that You're Beautiful singer James Blunt is a pub landlord - he loves talking about it. Blunt owns The Fox and Pheasant in Chelsea.

He said: “I’m much more positive than perhaps the national sentiment is. Maybe that’s because I always have half a pint in me, so the answer ultimately is come visit the pub.”

Read more: Jeremy Clarkson

• Everything you need to know about Jeremy Clarkson's pub on a 'famous dogging site' (Evening Standard, 2 min read)

• Jeremy Clarkson crowned UK's sexiest man for second year running (BANG Showbiz, 2 min read)

• Clarkson’s Farm staff reveal what it’s like to work with Jeremy Clarkson(Oxford Mail, 2 min read)